Defender
by Mercury Grimm
Summary: Hiccup never asked to be different. He never asked to born smaller than everyone else, or to be strange, or have his own outlook on life. He never asked to bullied by everyone else in the village. And he certainly didn't ask to turn into a dragon. But who said life was fair?
1. Awakening

"human speech"

::dragon speech::

Hiccup had fallen asleep in his bed - nothing unusual there. He had gone to bed a little earlier than usual- he'd been feeling sick to his stomach since earlier that day. His father - the Chief of the Tribe - hadn't been home. Work usually kept Stoick out late, and up early in the morning, so he rarely crossed paths with his son.

Hiccup had been plagued with nightmares the entire night, feverish and sweaty, and never able to slip into a deep sleep, instead forced to stick to a light doze, waking every few hours. The night had dragged on for what felt like days, not mere hours, and had seen Hiccup twisting and turning uncomfortably all night long. The pain peaked just after midnight, and he vaguely remembered being torn from sleep with a cry of pain.

So he was understandably surprised when he woke late in the morning in the middle of the forest, the trees around him crushed and splintered. He attempted to get to his feet, but his legs gave out, bending strangely before he collapsed back to the ground. He frowned and finally looked down at himself. . . and nearly passed out with shock. Not only was he quite a bit taller than he was usually, but his legs were long and sleek and muscled and black. . .and there were _four_ of them. He shook his head roughly, certain that he was hallucinating – he knew he had done that several times during the night – and felt long, ear-like objects flap against the sides of his head. He stumbled through the trees, managing to plough headfirst into two before he figured out how to avoid them, until he reached a clearing just off Raven's Point and was able to see his reflection of the water. He swore loudly, but all that came out was a loud growl.

He was a Night Fury. A godforsaken _Night Fury._ ::As if I wasn't already enough of an outcast,:: said Hiccup angrily, noting that while the words still sounded the same in his head, the sounds coming out of his mouth were without a doubt dragon noises. ::Oh, gods, I'm a dragon… What the hell am I supposed to do? Oh, the gods hate me.:: And then, a darker thought. ::I can't go home now. My dad would kill me. . .literally.:: He swore again. ::What am I supposed to _do_?:: A flash of blue fire shot out of his mouth as his anger spiked and ignited a tree several meters in front of him. Hiccup froze. Then swore, again.

::I'm so dead.::


	2. Hunting

"human speech"

::dragon speech::

 _thoughts_

and because I forgot to mention it last chapter:

Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD.

By the time he had finally figured out his new body, it was well after midday. And Hiccup was hungry. Still, he'd skipped meals before – it was nothing he couldn't handle.

::I should try to find some food,:: he murmured to himself. ::I'm only going to get more hungry.::

He stumbled around for almost an hour searching for some kind of food – he had often seen game in these woods as a human– before he realised that he would probably have to take to the skies to be able to hunt like a dragon. :: I never could hunt as a human,:: he said to himself. ::But if I can't figure it out now, I am literally going to die. There's no slacking off as a dragon:: And with that inspirational speech out of the way, he headed uphill to the cliffs, where he would easily be able to take to the skies.

He wandered through the trees for several long minutes until he came to the cliff that they called Raven's Point. Stepping out of the trees, he edged closer until he could look over the side of the cliff, and gulped at the steep drop, which ended with waves crashing against the rocks at the bottom. Very _sharp_ rocks.

::Okay, an incentive then. Better not land on those,:: he murmured. He cocked his head to stare critically at the drop, mentally measuring the distance. ::So as long as I stop falling before that ledge _there_ , I should be able to avoid a messy death,:: he said to himself. He stood on the cliff for several long minutes, waiting for the wind to die down - he had to make sure it wouldn't blow him off course, after all. And then there were all the other factors to think about. He didn't know how much he weighed as a dragon, or how long it would take for his wings to catch him, or – then, realizing that he was only putting off the inevitable, he forced himself to stop thinking about it. It _would_ work. ::Alright, Hiccup, you're not putting it off any longer,:: he said angrily, and threw himself off the cliff.

He screamed like he had never screamed before, a scream of pure, animalistic terror, before managing to get a grip on himself and forcing his wings to extend. _It's gonna be a close thing,_ he thought as he gritted his teeth and dragged his wings out against the wind, until with a jolt, the wind pulled him up again, and he was soaring out over the ocean. He swore loudly, thoroughly shaken, but laughing now, ecstatic about having figured out his wings. He let out a roar, the wind tearing away his voice after just a second. He let himself dip a little lower, tilting his wings slightly, and realizing that flight seemed to come naturally to a dragon. There was a few close calls when he tilted too far sideways, and nearly fell out of the sky, but he managed to right himself just in time. ::I can't believe this is happening!:: he crowed. ::I'm _flying!_ I'm actually flying!::

The wind tugged gently at the ear plates on either side of his head, and he shook his head slightly, still getting used to the sensation of the strange ear-like structures that shook awkwardly out from the top of his head. He experimented twisting his tail - he couldn't _begin_ to describe how weird having _that_ was.

His stomach gave an uncomfortable rumble and he remembered the reason that he was actually out here in the first place. He glanced dow, watching fish dart beneath the surface of the water, and felt something rise up inside him, almost as if it was forcing his mind out of the way, and then he could feel his body moving as it dived, but couldn't stop himself. He hit the water completely streamlined, ducking under and scooping up a fish in his strong jaws, before swallowing it whole. He fought to regain control over his mind, inwardly disgusted at his own antics. ::What just happened? Was that… dragon instincts? Did I somehow just… teach myself to hunt?:: Knowing that if he wanted to eat, he would have to be able to do it again, he turned his gaze to the water once more.

::Alright. My turn.::

Trying to mirror what he had done before, he angled his body and dived towards the water. He hit it at completely the wrong angle and felt the sharp sting of the water shudder along his stomach and legs. Wincing, he returned to the sky for another attempt. It took four goes before he finally caught a fish, and was so caught up in the moment that he didn't even realize that he had swallowed it until after the action was done, and he didn't know whether to feel satisfied or disgusted.

He stayed at sea for several more hours, until his wings started to grow heavy, and the weight of his stomach seemed to be trying to pull him back to the ground.

::This actually isn't too bad,:: he conceded. ::I mean, sure, I can't ever go home, but I should be able to survive like this.:: He turned himself back towards Berk, giving himself a wide berth of the village, letting the darkness conceal him. ::I wonder how they're dealing with my absence…::

But when he soared high above the village, his sharp eyes could see that it was in ruins. _There must have been a dragon raid last night_ , he thought. He turned himself slightly so that he could see his own house, and saw that there was a hole marring the roof of his house, a gaping window that let him see into his room. _Ah. That would've been me, probably, when I was breaking out,_ he figured. He could see Gobber patching up the roof, his one good hand holding nails and his prosthetic hammer screwed into the other arm, balancing the boards on the roof before hammering them into place. He looked grim. Surprisingly, so did the other people he saw walking around. _I didn't think I meant that much to them. They're probably just missing their punching bag._

Not trusting himself to remain hidden, he turned away and soared back over the forest to the clearing, the cool night air brushing gently against his face. He landed in the cove, settling himself down for the night in an opening between several large rocks.

 _This isn't so bad._


	3. Meeting

_Really sorry for the long wait - thanks to the people who haven't given up on this story. I know what I_ want _to happen in this story, but getting it down on the page is proving difficult. This chapter is really short, but I should have another one up soon because I'm feeling pretty inspired to write at the moment._

Disclaimer: It's called _fan_ fiction instead of just _fiction_ for a reason.

 _thinking_

::dragon speech::

Hiccup woke to see a Deadly Nadder staring curiously at him. He jerked back, hitting his head on the rocks above him and grimacing. ::Be still, fledgling,:: he heard, and looked around wildly for the voice. ::I will not harm you.:: Hiccup froze, then his eyes turned back towards the dragon.

::Did… did you just talk?:: he asked. _Eloquent as always, Haddock._

::I did, fledgling. You need not be afraid. I know of your plight.::

::My...my plight?::

::You do not yet know how to be of the People,:: said the Nadder seriously. ::It has been left to me to teach you.::

::But how did you know I was turned into a dragon?:: asked Hiccup.

::The People can always feel when a human is changed to People.::

Hiccup paused. ::You mean. . .this has happened before!?::

::Of course. What the humans call 'Night Furies' are all of their own people. They are born of lightning and death.::

::I'm sorry, but I'm confused,:: said Hiccup, shaking his head slightly. ::I've heard the 'lightning and death' part before, though.::

::Sometimes, when a human is near death, the Unholy God will change them into People. The Unholy God sends down a lightning bolt and strikes the human as they begin to leave their body. Their soul is placed inside the body that the Unholy God creates. It is a very rare thing for a human to become People. Our last Lightning Person - Night Fury, you would say, was born ten-and-five winters ago. He was a newborn human when he was changed to People. Some say that only special humans are changed to be People. They are the People that change the fate of the world.::

::But I'm not dead,:: said Hiccup. ::I'm right here.::

::You are alive here,:: said the Nadder. ::But you're human body has been left behind.::

::Do they all think I'm dead, then?:: asked Hiccup, realisation dawning on him. That must've been why everyone looked so grim back in the village.

::Yes, fledgling. The People removed your body from your Confining-Shelter-Tree - you call them…ah- How-ses, I believe? - So that the Unholy God could reach it with his lightning. The humans found your body just inside the forest, I believe. From what I could gather, they thought that the People killed you.::

Hiccup lowered his eyes, still trying to process all this new information. The Nadder backed up and allowed him to come out of the hole where he had slept. She cocked a head at him. ::What is your name, fledgling?::

::I'm -:: Hiccup found himself at a loss for words. He struggled for several minutes, before he realised that the dragons didn't have a word for hiccup. It was a strange feeling. He knew the word in his head, but couldn't seem to get it onto his tongue.

::Take your time, fledgling,:: the Nadder told him patiently. ::There is not always an easy translation.::

::I am. . .I am. . .I am Sharp-Intake-of-Breath,:: Hiccup finally decided.

::Welcome to the People, Sharp-Intake-of-Breath,:: said the Nadder. ::I am Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter.::

Hiccup smiled.

 ** _So, like I said, that was a really short chapter. I would've liked it to go for longer, but that seemed like a good place to end it. I'll try and get another chapter out really soon._**

 ** _Please leave a review - suggestions, comments etc. :)_**


	4. Project: Stop-The-War

_Aaaand the next chapter! Two chapters in under an hour (bit of a record for me). This chapter is decidedly longer, and we get a glimpse into the mind of Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter._

 _Disclaimer: I still don't own HTTYD, and probably won't. Ever. (Just saying)._

 _thinking_

::dragon speech::

The next few days, Hiccup spent all of his time with Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter, as she taught him exactly what it was to be of the People. He learnt about hunting, from both the ground and the air, flying, and about how to act around People. After a week he was flying as if he had done it all his life, and hunting was second nature to him. Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter told him proudly that she had never seen anyone take to being a dragon as quickly as he had. ::You have the soul of a dragon,:: she told him as they soared over the ocean. ::Had the Unholy God not chosen you, I am certain that you would have found your own way to change fate.::

::How am I supposed to change things?:: asked Sharp-Intake-of-Breath.

Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter shrugged a little, the movement difficult seeing as her wings were outstretched.

::That is up to you, Sharp-Intake-of-Breath. What would you like to change?::

Sharp-Intake-of-Breath frowned, thinking hard. What did he want to change about the world? Many things came to mind, but they all seemed to small, too trivial. _There's not much I can do about Snotlout, seeing as if i put one foot in the village I'll be killed, so I may as well cross that off the list._ He frowned, deep in thought. Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter let him ponder the question as they soared over the ocean.

It was late in the afternoon, and the sun was sinking ever-lower on the horizon, bright and vibrant and orange. It glinted off their scales, and Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter peered at Sharp-Intake-of-Breath out of the corner of her eye. Lightning People - Night Furies as they were called by the humans (and what ridiculous names they up with for the People, honestly,) were rare. Their dark scales and generally nocturnal behavior made it difficult for them to be found by day-dwelling dragons. They were often spoken about in stories - the humans that the Unholy God chose to be of the People. They were of great interest to the people, and their projects often changed the course of history in the most interesting ways. Dragons always wanted to get to know them, for they thought so differently to dragons. For all intents and purposes, they were humans living in dragon bodies.

She had felt when the Unholy God had chosen Sharp-Intake-Of-Breath. She had felt as his last breath left his human body, and the Unholy God forged a new body for his soul. Then, she had had to find him - and just you try finding a small black dragon in the dark. However, he was a quick learner, with a strange mind and a whole new way of thinking. He was interesting, she admitted, even for someone who had once been human.

In his first few days, Sharp-Intake-of-Breath had admitted to her that he had been something of an Outcast among his people. He looked so disheartened by it that she'd had to tell him the ones the Unholy God chose were always different.

 _The Unholy God chose you for a reason,_ she'd told him.

 _But I'm nothing special - I'm just me!_ he'd replied.

 _Clearly he disagrees. You are special, Sharp-Intake-Of-Breath. You are destined to change the world._

As they angled back towards Berk, he spotted a fishing ship several hundred meters out to sea, nets down over the side. A smile twitching the sides of his lips, (a decidedly human concept that Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter would never understand - honestly, why would you bare your teeth at someone as a gesture of pleasure?) he turned towards the island, pushing himself forward with his powerful wings so that he sped ahead of Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter. ::Where are you going?:: she asked.

::I've figured out what I'm changing,:: he called back, knowing that the wind would carry his cry to the weak ears of the humans on the boat. Sure enough, they jerked up and watched him coming with horror. Knowing that they wouldn't have any weapons that could reach him in the sky on board, he performed a couple of casual loops in the sky, before plummeting and watching with delight as the fish darted away from him and towards the net. He lifted back up, before doing the same on the other side of the boat. He then retreated to a safe distance and hung there in the air, watching as they eyed him warily whilst hauling up their catch. He grinned to himself as he heard their cries of delight, before swooping back down again, laughing internally at their cries of shock as he scared the fish towards their nets, before scooping up a couple for himself, even daring to perch on top of the mast for several seconds. Their moment of awe didn't last long, however, and after a second, the Vikings started to look like they were thinking of trying to catch him, and he took off, making a couple more loops before returning to Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter several hundred meters away, waiting patiently for him.

::That was quite the performance,:: she noted dryly. Sharp-Intake-of-Breath grinned at her, baring his teeth in a decidedly human act of happiness.

::So what is your project to change the world, then?:: asked Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter as they soared back to the clearing, landing lightly on the grass.

::Project; Stop-The-War,:: said Sharp-Intake-of-Breath with a grin. Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter nudged him gently, back towards the rocks that had become his bed.

::Well then, young hatchling,:: said Blue-Scales-Ocean Hunter, ::You had best be getting some sleep. You'll need a lot of energy for your project tomorrow.::

 _ **The name Hiccup refers to himself by is going to change a lot during this story as he gains nicknames/new names, as the way he thinks about himself changes. There isn't a dragonese word for 'hiccup', so he had to try and translate it as best as he could.**_

 _ **So yeah, Hiccup, Sharp-Intake-of-Breath, and later, Fen (spoilers), are all the same character. Just a heads up.**_

 _ **Please review!**_


	5. The days in between

_And finally, I give you the next chapter of Defender. This story is going to stick pretty close to canon, but I still have to get through these early chapters before the story really takes off._

 _"human speech"_

 _thinking_

 _::dragon speech::_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD_

The next day, Hiccup woke with a plan for Project Stop-the-War fully formed in his head, which basically consisted of trying to get the Vikings to see that dragons weren't all bad. After all, after his lessons with Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter, he knew that the People weren't _bad._ But he couldn't figure out why they were hunting on Berk, where they were certain to be attacked, rather than just catch fish, as most dragons preferred.

He rose with the sun - which was strange, because Night Furies were supposed to be nocturnal - and went out to 'help' the fishing boats. It was a different boat this morning, and he grinned at the collective screams of horror as he neared. He put on quite the performance when they didn't realize that he was actually helping them, diving in to get fish and then dropping their wriggling forms onto the deck of the boat, before going back for more. By the time the boat was ready to go back in, they had collected more than twice their normal amount of fish, and seemed more confused than anything.

The next day they had weapons on the boat, evidently sure that he was planning on attacking them. He stayed just out of range of the nets they attempted to throw at him, instead scaring fish towards them from a distance. His eyes - much sharper than they had been when he was human, caught sight of Astrid on the boat, axe over her shoulder, squinting at him with confusion. He didn't push his luck that day, and instead retreated to the safety of the forest, where the humans weren't likely to find him.

He continued this practice for several more days, routinely going out with the boats and either scaring the fish towards them or actually dropping them on top of the startled Vikings. They no longer screamed when they saw him coming, just stiffened, and constantly watched him incase he wasn't the same dragon. He was pretty pleased with the way things were going.

At the beginning of the next month, he decided to step it up a bit, and carried fresh animal carcasses to just outside the Mead Hall in the middle of the night. Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter had shown him a couple of weeks ago how to hunt prey in the forests, and he was working on perfecting the technique, although he still preferred fish. He would hide in the forest the next morning and listen to them speculating about who it was bringing the meat. He knew that, with winter coming, they would need as much food as they could - especially if the dragon raids continued as they had been. He continued for several days, before hearing them say that a group of Vikings were going to stay up to find out who was bringing the meat.

::Should I go?:: he asked Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter that day in the clearing. She shrugged.

::The question is; do you want to be recognized for your work?::

Sharp-Intake-of-Breath thought about it. ::Yes:: he decided finally. ::If they don't know that I'm a dragon, they won't try to make peace at all. They need to know who I am.::

Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter nodded. ::Then you must go, and show them who you are. Now, onto lessons. . .::

They worked on hunting again that day. Hiccup was getting better, but Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter was still by far the master. She was teaching him the art of moving silently today - a must if he was going into the village tonight. Thankfully, silent movement came naturally to the sleek-bodied Night Furies, and Hiccup took to it like a fish to water. All the practice as a human of avoiding bullies now came in useful, and he easily avoided Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter's keen eyes as he crept through the shadows. He snuck around behind her, before pouncing out of the foliage and onto her back, laughing in great sharp roars as she threw him off.

::You took to that very quickly,:: she told him as they returned to the clearing that night, ready to settle down for sleep, carrying a large deer between them to give the the humans. Sharp-Intake-of-Breath nodded.

::It was a lot easier than I expected it to be. The whole transformation, actually. I never thought I'd find it this easy.::

Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter nodded her head. ::I told you before. You may have the mind of a human, but you have the heart of a leader, and the soul of a dragon. I have never seen anyone take to it this quickly, even Dark-Lightning-Forest-Eyes.::

From their lessons, Sharp-Intake-of-Breath knew that Dark-Lightning-Forest-Eyes was the last human to be turned Night Fury before him.

::Sleep, Sharp-Intake-of-Breath,:: said Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter. ::I will wake you when the night is darkest.::

::Thank you,:: said Sharp-Intake-of-Breath, and settled down in the jumble of rocks that he called home, or bed, at the very least, and closed his eyes. Dragons didn't dream as humans did. Perhaps it was a part of them that always had to be on guard should a predator come along, but Sharp-Intake-of-Breath had not yet slept deeply in his time as a dragon. When he had discussed it with Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter, she had told him that this was true for all dragons. They had to be on guard all the time, and so they were.

:: Sharp-Intake-of-Breath, it is time you were rising,:: said Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter softly in his ear. Sharp-Intake-of-Breath blinked heavily and looked up at her. He smiled, pulling his gums back from his teeth. Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter cocked her head at him, narrowing her eyes, trying to figure out exactly how he was completely the move.

::That looks very strange,:: she noted. ::You are sure it is a sign of pleasure?::

Sharp-Intake-of-Breath nodded. ::Yes. The humans can do it better than I, though.::

Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter seemed to shrug, and Sharp-Intake-of-Breath could see her thinking that humans were very strange. ::You had best be going,:: she said. Sharp-Intake-of-Breath nodded, grinned at her once more, before picking up the carcass of the deer and taking off, blending easily into the darkness. He moved among the clouds, no more than a shadow, until he was finally hovering over the village. He could see the shadowy forms of Vikings crouched, all seemingly waiting for the mysterious bringer-of-food to show themselves.

He let himself drop slowly, before diving the last hundred feet and pulling himself up just a few meters from the ground, and letting the deer slide out of his paws. He turned himself towards the Vikings, knowing that they would be able to see his eyes now. He smiled to himself at the sharp intakes of breath from the Vikings. One of them hissed to someone next to him, who was apparently asleep. "Oi, wake up!"

"Whazzhappnin'?" asked the half-asleep Viking, before he turned around and saw Hiccup standing there, almost invisible, except for his eyes, which glowed green in the dark shadows of the night. "Oh Thor almighty," he whispered.

"Take him down," whispered a Viking to their left. Hiccup snorted to himself. Obviously, they were under the allusion that he hadn't spotted them yet, and they clearly hadn't seen the carcass of the deer that was lying in front of him. Hiccup backed up a couple of steps as they Vikings advanced, before with a war cry, they charged, all three of them tripping over the deer lying on the ground. In the confusion, Sharp-Intake-of-Breath took off into the night, leaving the Vikings wondering exactly when the large carcass of the deer had appeared before them.

 _And there you have it. I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible._

 _Reviews are much appreciated._


	6. A Nadder, a Night Fury and a Viking

_And finally we have the next chapter of Defender! Shout out to tatjana1d for beta-ing this._

 _(Disclaimer: I still don't own How to Train Your Dragon. It's not going to happen, guys.)_

"Human speech"

 _thinking_

::dragon speech::

Astrid was seething. Despite the fact that they were _supposed_ to be learning how to kill dragons, Snotlout seemed to be under the impression that his mission in life was to flirt with Astrid. And it was _infuriating_. She could deal with the look Fishlegs sent her occasionally - part admiration, part fear - but Snotlout's forwardness and stubbornness made him an entirely unappealing character.

She stormed away from the kill ring, through the village and into the forest, axe swinging loosely from her hand. When she was finally out of hearing range of the village, she let out a scream of anger, brought up the axe and sent it flying into a nearby tree. Adrenaline coursing through her, she followed it, jerked it out of the wood and sent it flying into another. Again and again she repeated the movement, until she was gasping for breath, imagining each tree to be Snotlout, until she finally ignored the axe stuck in the wood of the tree and instead went up and punched the tree with her fist, beating and kicking at it until she finally slid down it in exhaustion. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she wiped it away without a thought. She took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh.

It was nice, to imagine, just for a moment, that Snotlout wouldn't bother her when she returned. That he would have turned his attention to Ruffnut, or one of the other girls in the village - who enjoyed sewing or making bread. She let her eyes close, and let herself imagine a world where they weren't at war, where her friends weren't killed every time dragons attacked, where they didn't have to worry if there would be enough food for the winter. Where she could grow up in the knowledge that future generations of vikings would like on Berk, safe from dragons.

There was a soft snap somewhere to her right, and Astrid's eyes jerked open. Silently, she stood, pulling her axe out of the tree, half-hoping that it would be Snotlout so she could attack him without witnesses. She took half a pace forward, and saw the two creatures only a few meters away. Her eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat. She shook herself mentally. _Come on, Astrid, you've fought dragons before._

She leaned forward a little, to glance at them again, taking in their colours. The Nadder's scales were an electric blue, like it belonged in the ocean. It's eyes were a bright gold and had the look of a predator. The black dragon next to it wasn't a breed Astrid had seen before. It was slightly smaller than the Nadder, crouching on four legs rather than the Nadder's two, dark wings folded in close to it's body. It raised it's head, sniffing at the light breeze that was pulling Astrid's braid over her shoulder, and turned to face her.

Astrid's heart stopped, and she stumbled backwards a few paces as the two dragons approached, raising her axe. The black dragon's eyes widened, and Astrid let out a scream as she threw her axe towards it, intent on planting the heavy blade in the monster's skull. The blue dragon acted before the black one could, shoving it out of the way so that, rather than hitting it's original target of the top of the dragon's head, the axe instead hit it in it's left eye. The dragon let out a scream of pain and stumbled sideways, the axe dropping from it's bleeding eye.

The blue dragon sprang towards Astrid, unable to extend it's wings fully because of the proximity of the trees. It pinned her down with it's massive clawed feet, and Astrid struggled to get free, but one of it's talons bit down into the skin of her shoulder and she let out a cry. The dragon was just lowering it's mouth to bite off her head when the black dragon roared behind them. The blue dragon paused, and Astrid sucked in a breath, shaking with fear. The black dragon roared again, and the Nadder growled back, moving in again for the kill. The black dragon roared, stumbling forward to place it's own head in between Astrid and the Nadder's mouth. Astrid's vision was blocked for the next minute or so as the dragons growled at each other, before the black dragon moved away, the Nadder grabbing the back of Astrid's shirt in it's mouth and standing up. Finally able to move again, Astrid struggled in vain to free herself, sending blind kicks backwards in an attempt to hit the dragon. It snarled through it's teeth, and began to move. Astrid let out a scream, and the dragon shook her roughly, breaking off her cry. The black dragon growled softly, turning to look at her, squinting at her through it's one good eye.

Hiccup was at a bit of a loss as to what to do about Astrid. The pain is his eye was reaching an unbearable pain, and it was becoming difficult to think straight. Still, he knew that if they let her go, she would tell the village they were living in the forest, and they would be forced to move. If they _didn't_ kill her, the vikings would coming looking for them anyway.

::Why will you not let me kill her?:: Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter had asked angrily. Hiccup had turned to look at her, making sure that he was still in between them, before answering.

::We need her help if we want the vikings to help us,:: he told her.

::She will never help us,:: snarled Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter bitterly.

::She _might_ , if we can just change her mind,:: said Hiccup softly, before crying out in pain, and rubbing at his eye with a paw. That only made it worse. ::We need to find somewhere to sleep for the night,:: he said. ::Somewhere they won't find us. Can you lead the way?:: Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter nodded, and started off, running through the trees with a quick lope, Astrid hanging from her mouth, Hiccup stumbling after them.

They finally reached a small cave, almost invisible beneath the undergrowth that swarmed over it. Hiccup crawled inside, curling up in the far corner of the cave, and Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter sat by the entrance, pinning Astrid down on the ground so she couldn't escape. The girl was obviously unhappy with this arrangement. Even though she could barely move under Blue-Scales-Ocean-Hunter's weight, she continued to attempt to wriggle free, all the while swearing at the dragon. Hiccup knew that Astrid was going to be a problem, but it was a problem he couldn't deal with at the moment. _In the morning,_ he told himself. _I'll figure it out in the morning._

 _Reviews are awesome._


	7. Hostage

Wow. Okay, I am so sorry this chapter took so long. I have been suffering from writer's block, but hopefully I'll be able to write more now.

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD.

 _What to do when stuck in a cave with two dragons (A list by Astrid Hofferson)_

 _Avoid said dragons. Do not antagonize them. They are probably hungry._

 _Explore cave to find any other exits._

 _Try to sneak past dragons. You will fail._

 _Politely ask dragons to move from cave entrance. When they do not, glare at them. (It will not make them move, but it will make you feel better)._

 _Sleep. Try not to sleep during the day - make sure you are only sleeping when it is dark._

 _Find some small stones to entertain yourself in the cave. Make up games._

 _Do not - DO NOT - hit the dragons with the stones. This is a sure way to get you eaten._

 _Watch the dragons to find out their sleeping and hunting patterns._

 _If one of the dragons is a night fury, accept any half-eaten food they give you. They will be offended if you do not eat it._

 _Do not offend the dragons._

 _If there is any wood in the cave, build a fire to keep yourself warm. Alternatively, ask dragons to light a fire._

 _To vent frustration, kick the cave wall. It will not help you escape or make you any happier. On second thoughts, don't kick the cave wall. You will injure your foot._

 _If the cave is relatively large, try to keep up an exercise routine. Alternatively, stretch your muscles to keep them from tightening._

 _When the stronger dragon goes to hunt, attempt to sneak past the second dragon._

 _Yell at said dragon when it refuses to let you leave._

 _Sulk in the back of the cave._

Astrid fumed silently. One week. One whole _bloody_ week. That was how long she'd been stuck in this godforsaken cave. The dragons had shown no sign of wanting to let her leave, but at least they had been decent enough to bring her back some fish, and the Nadder had even lit a fire once the black one had growled at it. So she was coping…sort of. She had started up a conversation with the dragons on day three, unused to the lack of company and isolation, not really caring that they wouldn't respond. Astrid was, at heart, an extrovert, and needed to be around people. At least talking helped break the uncomfortable silences that stretched between her and the black dragon when the Nadder went hunting.

The black dragon was still injured, and as it looked at her each day through it's one, pain-filled eye, she couldn't help but feel just a little guilty. She could see intelligence in those eyes now, something she had never noticed before. The dragon's green eye had the look of wisdom that an owl's did, and showed the same deep pain she had seen in the eyes of wounded and dying vikings after dragon raids.

She had told herself she was being stupid at first. That she was just telling herself the dragon had feelings to stop herself being so lonely. But as the days had dragged on, she had begun to realize the extent of the dragon's intelligence. It was like looking into the eyes of a very old person - someone who had seen so much war and pain and suffering that their faces had begun to show it.

It was the same when she looked at the Nadder now - perhaps not exactly like when she looked at the black dragon, but then, no two people were exactly alike, so why should dragons be? Could it be possible that dragons were just as diverse as vikings?

Astrid woke. She wasn't quite sure when she'd fallen fallen asleep - she had been sure that the black dragon's moans of pain would have kept her awake long into the night. It seemed like it was determined for Astrid to share in it's agony - and she had spent hours with her hands clamped hard over her ears in an attempt to block out the noise.

She was lying alone in the cave, cool stone pressing into her side from beneath her. Her skin was cold, the darkness and slight damp of the cave making her shiver. The remains of the fire were black and lifeless. It had gone out a while ago. Sitting up slowly, she pushed her hair out of her face, turned around, and saw the black dragon lying on it's side at the entrance of the cave. The blue dragon was standing above it, fussing over it like an over-protective mother. Astrid almost laughed at the sight. Almost. The dragons were acting so… _human._

As she watched, the black dragon gave a quiet moan, tried to stand, but stumbled and fell with a cry. It shook it's head roughly, rubbing a paw over it's injured eye and moaned. Astrid shifted her position so that she was sitting cross-legged on the cave floor, a few loose stones rattled against the hard stone. The blue dragon twisted around to glare at her, and Astrid fought to keep her expression blank as she stared resolutely back at it. This was hard work, mind you. Facing off a dragon barely five meters away is no mean feat, but to do it without a weapon and no means of escape except _past_ the dragon is even harder. Still, Astrid was a viking, and vikings were known for their stubbornness. She stared back at the dragon, a scowl creasing her brow, despite the fact that fear coiled in her stomach like snakes.

After a second, the Nadder turned back to the dragon on the ground, crooning softly to it. Astrid stood up, stretching her muscles with a yawn. A growl from the cave entrance caught her attention. Her eyes flickered to where the Nadder's head had snapped around to look at her (the movement unnervingly like that of a chicken), it's large eye focussed on her. It growled again. Astrid slowly sat down. The dragon huffed softly, and went back to crooning at the black dragon.

Astrid sat with her back against the wall for what felt like hours, wondering uncertainly if this cave was where she would die. Would the dragons keep her here forever? Once the black dragon healed would they kill her? Would the blue dragon decide to end it before then?

Was she ever going to see her family again?

Would the Vikings ever find her body, her bones, in the corner of this cave? Would they even look?

 _They would,_ she told herself, although she didn't fully believe it. _They'll come and find me. They've got to._

It was a long time later that the blue dragon left the cave. Astrid barely heard the noise as it moved out of the cave - it was only the telltale _clack_ of it's claws against the stone floor of the cave that gave away it's movements. Astrid leapt to her feet, her right leg almost giving out from under her - she had lost feeling in that leg some time ago from sitting still too long. She winced as the blood rushed back into the limb, tingling. A growl from the entrance made her look up again. The Nadder was glaring at her, it's expression alarmingly easy to read. It cocked it's head, then bared it's teeth, the message clear. _Try to escape and I will kill you._


End file.
